DETROIT – General Motors is donating 2 million face masks to Michigan public schools, the automaker announced Tuesday.
The donation is part of the state’s “MI Mask Aid” partnership announced by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this month. GM’s contribution to the program includes 750,000 child-size masks for elementary students, which will be ready for delivery by Sept. 14, and 1.25 million adult-size masks for high school students, faculty and staff, which will be ready for delivery by Sept. 28, the automaker said.
Recommended Videos
“This is great news for our students, educators and support staff who need access to face masks to protect themselves and their families. Until there is a vaccine, it’s crucial that all Michiganders continue to mask up, and we are working around the clock to ensure everyone has access to a mask,” said Whitmer. “I am grateful for GM’s partnership and dedication to protecting our students and educators during this time, and I look forward to working with everyone who wants to help us provide masks to our most vulnerable populations.”
Masks are proven to reduce a person’s chance of spreading COVID-19. As WDIV Local 4′s Dr. Frank McGeorge has explained, while masks protect the wearer from COVID-19 to some degree, their primary purpose is “source control,” or limiting the amount of infectious droplets coming out of the wearer’s respiratory tract -- both the mouth and nose.
View: CDC’s guide to wearing face masks properly
GM started producing face masks back in March when the pandemic hit Michigan. The company’s Warren facility has two production lines for face masks and a third line making N95 face respirators.
- View more: Michigan COVID-19 data